Webinar: Sales, Marketing and Admissions

We were thrilled to host 67 representatives from marketing and admissions teams in our recent webinar, “Changing the Narrative: Admissions as Sales.” Guided by our wonderful host, Nicola Lutz, the session featured insightful discussions with esteemed panellists: Sophy Walker, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Royal Hospital School; Helen Clapham, Director of External Relations at GSAL; and Daniel Cohen, Director of Business Development at MTM Consulting.

Do School Marketing and Admissions Teams ‘Sell’?

The overarching theme emphasised treating schools as businesses, acknowledging the evolving expectations of parents who seek a polished service. Helen highlighted the need to build mutually beneficial, long-term relationships over a hard sell. Dan emphasised the need to remove negative connotations from sales, focusing on a process-oriented approach with measurable KPIs and effective lead follow-up.

Nicola underscored the ethical aspect of selling, with all panellists emphasising the importance of active listening in the sales process. Addressing setting KPIs, Dan advised starting with the end goal of acquiring full-fee-paying pupils and working backward, emphasising the quality of leads over quantity.

USPs, ROI and CRM Systems

Understanding one’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) was stressed, with a reminder that elements like great pastoral care, small class sizes, and academic excellence are not unique in the realm of independent schools. Helen emphasised the significance of understanding the recruitment pipeline and identifying leakages.

The discussion touched on tracking conversions at every stage, segmenting leads based on various criteria, and determining Return on Investment (ROI). Questions about incentives for admissions staff prompted varied responses, with considerations for the ethical implications and potential impact on behavior.

The essential role of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems was highlighted, with recommendations for platforms such as HubSpot, Metis, and Open Apply. Panelists unanimously stressed the importance of alignment between admissions and marketing teams, advocating for their representation at the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) level.

In summary, the webinar provided valuable insights into the evolving landscape of school admissions, emphasising the need for a strategic and ethical approach in treating schools as businesses, from setting KPIs to leveraging CRM systems and ensuring collaboration between admissions and marketing teams at the highest levels of school leadership.

If you would like to attend one of our FREE webinars, held throughout the year, check out our Events page.